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There are some few guidelines that you can follow to maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly.

Free Up Disk SpaceBy freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.Use Disk Cleanup to:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
Disk Cleanup calculates the amount of space you will be able to free.
2. In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.
Choose the files that you want to delete.
3. Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
4. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.
After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.Speed Up Access to Data
Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.
Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.Run Disk Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals, optimally monthly, certain events warrant running the utility outside of the monthly rule of thumb.
You should run Disk Defragmenter under the following circumstances:
• You add a large number of files. • Your free disk space nears 15 percent. • You install new programs or a new version of Windows.

To use Disk Defragmenter:
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
2. In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button.
After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
3. To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button.
After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4. To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5. To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6. To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.Detect and Repair Disk Errors
In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.
As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.
If you use your computer daily, you should try to run this utility weekly to help prevent data loss.To run the Error Checking utility:Important: Be sure to close all files before running the Error-Checking utility.
1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.2. In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.3. In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.4. Click the Check Now button.5. In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
In most circumstances, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
6. If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.Tip: Only select the Automatically fix file system errors check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.

As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.

Close all open files.

Click Start, and then click My Computer.

In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.

In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.

Click the Check Now button.

In the Check Disk dialog box (called Error-checking in Windows 7), select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.

If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.

Tip: Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.

when formatting,the operating system needs a file system to organise data into files and folders....so they can be managed effectively...when formatting it clears a particular area called a partition then divides it into sectors, tracks formed by the combination of these sectors, and cylinders...

sector is the smallest data block in hard disk an operating system can manage...

By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your computer
and keep it running smoothly. This article discusses how to use the
tools available in Windows 7, Vista, and XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to
more efficiently maintain your computer and safeguard your privacy when
you're online.

1. Free up disk spaceThe Disk Cleanup tool helps you free
up space on your hard disk to improve the performance of your computer.
The tool identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables
you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified
files.Use Disk Cleanup to:

Tip:
Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space
because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.

2. Speed up access to dataDisk fragmentation slows the
overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the
computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it
back together. The response time can be significantly longer.Disk
Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files
and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single
space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without
fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.When to run Disk Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly
is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:

You add a large number of files.

Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.

You install new programs or a new version of Windows.

3. Detect and repair disk errorsIn addition to running Disk
Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your
computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard
disk by running the Error Checking utility.As you use your hard
drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk
performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving)
difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the
hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see
whether certain files or folders are misplaced.If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.
Run the Error Checking utility:

Close all open files.

Click Start, and then click My Computer.

In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.

In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.

Click the Check Now button.

In the Check Disk dialog box (called Error-checking in Windows 7), select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start

If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.

Tip: Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.

4. Protect your computer against spywareSpyware
collects personal information without letting you know and without
asking for permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and
passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at
risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your
computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider
using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, and is available as a free download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are other free anti-spyware software programs available.

5. Learn all about ReadyBoostIf you're using Windows 7 or
Windows Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your system. A new
concept in adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile
flash memory—like a USB flash drive or a memory card—to improve
performance without having to add additional memory.

This issue is often caused by either an incorrect setting in bios
or a bad boot device, such as a bad hard disk drive. To resolve this
issue, run scandisk to check if the hard drive have develop a bad sector. Double click mycomputer and right click drive C: and select properties,tools,check now and check the the two options in the check this option windows and reboot your computer. During the reboot of computer the scandisk is check your harddisk after the scandisk finished scanning you can read the result if you see the bad sector or cluster found it's mean that your hard drive is damage in you need to replace it to correct the error. But if no bad sector found try to remove the software or hardware that you installed before the problem is occured go to control panel then add and remove software. if you have a registry scanner software like pctools registry mechanic try to run it to fix the problem in the registry.

a low level format could revive the disk - download the disk utility from the disk website (e.g if it is a quantum load the disk manager from quantum site & run on the disk - follow screen instructions)
hope this helps